Clip applying apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet l M 5 K O0 7 WWMH W H M 5 X 6 mm f% if M m vw m m a w H mm a. an mm 9% bm NIIEIII E. J. SHAPIRO CLIP APPLYING APPARATUS Oct. 18, 1966 Filed Nov. 27, 1964 Oct. 18, 1966 E. J. SHAPIRO 3,279,046

CLIP APPLYING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 27, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H III f QT.3 O //5 I 83 72 92 I II 32 55 1 {F 1/ 86 6 a m m/ 85! HH HII r a 25 WIHHH, 296 96 5%!!! INVENTOR. ERVl/VG J- SHAP/RO United States Patent 3,279,046 CLIP APPLYING APPARATUS Erving J. Shapiro, 3550 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Ill. Filed NOV. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 414,164 Claims. (Cl. 29243.56)

This invention relates to an apparatus for binding layers of materials together and more specific-ally to an apparatus for crimping a clip about the edges of the material.

The present invention is particularly adapted for use in crimping a clip to secure together the edges of several layers of material, usually textile material, or to connect a card or paper label to the textile layers. Although the present apparatus, as disclosed hereinafter, refers basically to open mouth clips of a relatively soft and easily deformed aluminum, which clips had been previously applied by manual pressure or squeezing between ones fingers the present invention is also applicable to clips of less readily bendable materials and of different configurations.

The primary object of the present invention is a novel, simple and low cost apparatus for crimping or clinching clips to secure together layers of textile material or other materials.

Heretofore, apparatus for applying clips of the open mouth or C shaped type have had relatively elaborate ejection and clip conveying feed members for moving the clips into position between the clamping jaw and/ or clamping jaws for deforming the clip. Accordingly, another object of the present invention is an unique arrangement of clips in a magazine for feeding into the crimping without the necessity for turning or orienting of the clips from the magazine.

Another object of the invention is a clip clinching apparatus having the clips oriented with an open mouth or bight so that the material can be extended into the clips while they are in the magazine so as to facilitate the ease of insertion of relatively wide materials into the mouth of the clip or clips being clinched at the clinching station. More specifically, and as a further object of the invention, a clip carrying magazine is aligned with the crimping jaws and has an open side into which the material may be insented, the clips in the magazine and in the clamping jaw being-able to receive the materials between the legs of the clips.

Preferably, the present invention is employed with clips which do not perforate the materials and which do not completely close when crirnped or clinched to their final clamping position. That is, it is desirable, in securing together some goods such as textiles, to prevent the complete closing of the clip to preclude tearing or perforation of the textile materials by the clips. Another object of the present invention is a readily adjustable stop mechanism for preciselylimiting the amount of closure of the legs of a clip element for the particular thickness or type of goods being clamped together. For example, the amount of closure of the clips for relatively thick socks is limited, by the stop mechanism, to a given spacing; the stop mechanism is easily adjusted to provide substantially greater closure of the legs of the clips toward one another for thinner socks.

A-further object of the inventon is a unique crimping jaw mechanism adapted to move the clips forwardly against the edge of the materials being clamped as the clamping jaws are deforming the legs of the clip. Thus,

ice

way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what is now considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a clip fastening apparatus constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the clip fastening apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the clip fastening apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an opposite end view of the clip fastening apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 55 of FIG. 3 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the clamping jaws for crimping the clip;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the lines 7-7 in FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows showing the magazine;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of a clip in the clinching station prior to being crimped;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating form of the clip when crimped by the crimping mechanism; and

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a pair of socks secured at the toes and the tops of the socks by clips.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, there is illustrated the preferred the clamping jaws facilitate the gripping of a maximum 7 form of a clip C which is a generally C-shaped clip as seen in FIG. 8 having a central bend portion 14, an upper leg 15 and a lower leg 16. The legs 15 and 16 form therebetween an open mouth or bight B. Preferably, the lower leg 16 terminates in a hook 17. When the clip C is crimped to the position shown in FIG. 9, the hook 117 is bent relatively close to but spaced from the end of the upper leg 15 for the purpose of securing together layers of fabric such as the separate socks G. The clip C is generally employed to secure together the edges of material such as the edges E, for instance, at the top of the socks and at the toes of the socks, FIG. 10. The edges of the material are inserted into the open mouth or bight of the clip C and positioned against or in close proximity to the bend 14 so that the layers of fabric or other material are clamped or clinched at their edge portions. The form of the clip shown and discussed herein isra commercially available clip made of soft aluminum which has heretofore been applied by simple manual pressure of a persons fingers acting against the legs 15 and 16. As will be more readily apparent from the description hereinafter, the present invention is applicable to such clips as well as those requiring greater force for closing these clips and also is applicable to clips which have different configurations,

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is illustrated the crimping apparatus for the clips C which includes a main supporting plate or base means 20 on the upper surface of which is secured a magazine 22 for holding a plurality of clips' C. The clips C are preferably arranged in side by side order in the magazine 22 and have their bight portions B, FIG. 7, opposite the top surface 24 of a support ing table 25 for the goods. As can best be appreciated from FIG. 4, the edges of the goods G extend into the interior of the magazine and into the bight portions B of the clips in the magazine; and also into the bight portion of the clip C, shown in FIG. 6, about to be clinched or by a feeding means which includes a follower 30 urged toward the clinching station, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, by a coiled spring 32 having a band portion 33 extending leftwardly and connected to the follower 30 by rivets 34.

Preferably, the follower 30 is of the same general con- 7 figuration as the clips C so as not to interfere with the goods G being inserted into the interior of the magazine 22. The magazine 22 is generally three sided and forms a channel or trough for the clips C and follower 30. The trough or channel for the clips is generally constituted by a bar 35, lower plate 36 and an upper plate 37, as best seen in FIG. 7. The upper bar 37 ispreferably formed with a downwardly extending flange 38 and the lower plate 36 is preferably provided with an upturned flange 39. Screws 40, or other suitable fasteners, are inserted through suitably aligned apertures in the upper plates 37, bar 35, lower plate 36, and threaded into spaced supports 44, FIG. 1, which are in the form of blocks secured to the base 20 and having an oblique supporting surface 46 for supporting the magazine 22. Thus, the bight B of the clips and the open side'of the magazine are disposed opposite the supporting surface 24 for the goods G. The follower 30 has a portion 48 rabbetted to receive and to slide along the down-turned flange 38 of the upper plate 37. The coiled spring 32 is attached for rotation about a pin 49 secured to a bracket50 fastened to the top plate 37 of the magazine 22.

To insert clips C into the magazine 22, the follower 30 is moved to the left, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, past the end 51 of the magazine and out of the channel formed in the magazine 22. A plurality of clips C are then fed into the channel and the follower 30 is placed in the channel to urge the clips to the right toward the crimping station. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, only the one clip C at the extreme right of the magazine is in the crimping position or station between the jaws 28 and 29.

The rightward movement of the clips, C under the urging of the spring urged follower 30, is limited by a stop element 55 having an integral right angle leg 56 secured by a fastener 57 to the base 20. As can best be seen in FIG. 3, the stop 55 has an opening 58 adapted to receive the edges of the goods G supported on the table 25. As best seen in FIG. 5, the rear edge 60 of the opening 58 in the stop 55 extends forwardly of the trough or channel formed in the magazine to provide a stop surface 62 to limit movement of the clips C by the follower 30. As seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, this stop surface 62 of the stop element 55 is spaced by a distance slightly greater than the width of the clip C from the right end 64 of the magazine 22. It is between this end 64 of the magazine 22 and the surface 62 of the stop 55, that the clamping jaws 28 and 29 are effective to crimp a clip C. That is, the clamping jaws 28 and 29 are disposed to move into the space between the end 64 of the magazine and the stop surface 62 of the stop 55, FIG. 5, to act on the clip C last fed from the magazine 22.

The clamping jaws 28 and 29 have small arcuate surfaces engaging the top and bottom surfaces of a common pivot pin 66, FIG. 6. The clamping jaws 28 and 29 are spring urged to the position shown in FIG. 6 by an upper spring 67 acting against the rearward end portion of the clamping jaw 28 and by a spring 68 acting against the rearward portion of the clamping jaw 29. The pivot pin 66 is threaded into an upstanding leg 70, FIG. 5, of a main support bracket 72 having a lower leg 73 secured by fasteners 74 to the base 20. Preferably, the pivot pin 66 has a circular spacer 75 disposed against the outer and vertical surfaces of the clamping levers 28 and 29 to retain the inner vertical surfaces of the levers 28 and 29 in flush engagement with the vertical surface 76, FIG. 6, of the vertical leg 70 of the main support bracket 72.

To afford additional width to the rearward ends of the crimp a clip C; The handle H has a shank portion 111,

4 clamping jaws 28 and 29 against, which the springs 67 and 68 bear, laterally projecting blocks 77 and 78, FIG. 6,

are secured by fastener 79 to their respective clamping levers 28 and 29. The rearward ends of the clamping levers 28 and 29 have bevelled camming surfaces for camming engagement with a wedge 81 adapted to be driven leftwardly as viewed in FIG. 6 by a cam surface 82 on an operating or actuating lever 83.

The wedge 81 has a tapered nose which fits into the converging camming surfaces 80 on the blocks 77 and 78 and the converging surfaces on the ends of the levers 28 and 29. The wedge 81 has camming surfaces 84 disposed at a relatively large angle therebetween as compared to the angle between the camming surfaces 80. Thus, when the wedge camming surfaces 84 move into and against the camming surfaces 80, the rearward ends of the levers 28 and 29 are forced apart to pivot the forward portions of the levers 28 and 29 from the position generally shown in FIG. 8 to the position shown in FIG. 9 wherein the upper leg 15 and lower leg 16 of a clip C are crimped and deformed toward one another to assume general configuration shown in FIG. 9. The springs 67 and 68 are of sufiicient strength to return the wedge 81 to the position shown in FIG. 6 after a crimping operation. The wedge 81 is driven in an actuating direction by a. camming surface 82 of an actuating lever 83. The wedge 81 is limited in its return movement by the springs 67 and l 68 when the actuating lever 83 pivots about its pin 85 i into engagement with a stop 86, FIG. 6. V

The wedge 81 is guided for reciprocal movement between upper and lower guide blocks and 91, FIG. 3, which are secured by fasteners 92 to the main support bracket 72. The guide blocks 90 and 91 each have a horizontal guide surface 93, FIG. 3, for guiding the respec-. tive upper and lower surfaces of the wedge 81. The outer portions of the guide blocks 90 and 91 extend toward one another and over the vertical outer sides of the wedge 81 to retain the inner and vertical surfaces of the wedge 81 in relatively flush engagement with the vertical surface 76 of the upstanding leg 70 of the main bracket 72.v Thus, it

is to be understood that the wedge 81 is guided for reciprocal movement by the guide blocks 90 and 91 cooperating with the surfaces 76 of the main bracket 72.

The return springs 67 and 68 extend vertically through apertures in the respective guide blocks 90 and 91 and have their remote ends seated in spring seats 95 and 96 se-' cured by fasteners 97 to the guide blocks 90 and 91, re-.

spectively. Thus, the springs 67 and 68 may be disposed directly over the top of the ends of the levers 28 and 29 i and exert a force in the vertical direction thereon.

The actuating lever 83 is pivotally mounted by its pivot pin 85 to a support bracket 100. The bracket 100 is L-shaped in that it has an upstanding leg 101 and a horizontally extending leg 102 secured by fasteners 103 to the base 20. The stop 86, for limiting rotation of the lever 83, is secured along an inclined end surface 105 of the upstanding leg 101 by a fastener 107.

The actuating lever 83 may be actuated by a power operated mechanism such as a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, electro-magnet or electric motor driven means to pivot the actuating lever 83 about the pivot pin 85. In the herein described embodiment of the invention,'the actuating lever 83 has a handle H for manual operation by an operator to pivot lever 83 to cause a crimping of a clip C. Preferably the handle H has a contact button.

surface which the operator may hit with the palm or the fingers of the hand to pivot the actuating lever 83 to FIG. 4, with an elongated slot 112 through which extends the shank of a screw type fastener 113 threaded into the end 114 of the actuating lever 83. The bottom surface 115 of the shank 111 serves as a stop surface when it engages the aligned surface 116 at the top of the main bracket 72 to prevent further pivoting of the actuating lever 83 in the clockwise direction, as seen in FIG. 4,

about the pivot pin 85. Loosening of the fastener 1'13 and movement of the handle H to a predetermined position along the slot 112 relative to the fastener 113 permits adjustment of the operating stroke of the lever 83 and thereby determines the amount of closure of the clip C by the clamping jaws 28 and 29. More specifically,

the amount of pivotal movement of the actuating lever 83' about the pivot pin 85 determines the amount of camrning action by the cam surface 82 and thereby the amount of leftward movement of the wedge 81, as seen in FIG. 6, which in turn controls the amount of pivotal movement of. the levers 28 and 29.

A significant feature of the present invention is that the lower lever or clamping jaw 29 is formed with a hooked end portion 120, FIG. 8, whereas upper lever has no such hook formed thereon. The hook 120 is disposed beneath the level of the top of the surface 24 of the support table for the goods so that during initial movement of the lower lever 29 the hook is rising to the level of the surface 24 while the inner surface 121 of the upper lever 28 is engaging and bending the upper leg 15 toward the lower leg 16 of the clip C. This bending forces the clip C leftwardly, as viewed in FIG. 8, to move the hook 17 on the clip C against the shoulder surface 123 on the hook 120 which prevents further outward or leftward movement of the clip C during the fin'al crimping of the clip. This movement of the clip C leftwardly thus moves the bight B and the bend 14 of the clip C more tightly against the edge of the fabric or sheets of material inserted into the bight B to assure that a goodly portion of the goods or material is gripped between the hook portion 17 and the bend 14.

As an aid in understanding the present invention, a brief recapitulation of operation of the apparatus is described hereinafter. The gOOds or sheets of material to be clinched by the clip C is supported on the top surface of the support table 25. The edges of the goods are inserted into the high-t B of the clip held between the clamping jaws 28 and 29. Because the clips C in the magazine 22 are also aligned with the clip C in between the levers 28 and 29, the edges of relatively wide materials may be moved into the trough or channel formed in the magazine 22. The follower 30 and the clips C have a central bight or opening to permit the edges E of the material to be moved into the trough of the magazine 22. Likewise, the stop 55 for limiting movement of the clips C by the follower 30 has an opening 58 for permitting the insertion of the material into the bight B of the clip C.

The operator having inserted the edges of the material into the bight of the clip C, engages the handle H and forces the handle H downwardly to rotate the lever 83 about its pivot pin 85. The camming surface 82 on the actuating lever 83 cams against the rear surface of the wedge 81 to drive the wedge 81 forwardly toward the pivot pin 66 for the clamping levers 28. The wedge 81 has a nose disposed between the inclined surface 80 upon the levers 28 and 29 and on the blocks 77 and 78. Further movement of the wedge 81 toward the pivot pin 66 causes its camming surface 84 to spread the engaged ends of the levers 28 and 29 against the biasing force of their return springs 67 and 68.

The nose 120 at the end of the lower clamping lever 29 disposed beneath the level of the top of the table 25 is forced to move upwardly towards the top of the table as the upper lever 28 begins to engage and deform the upper leg 15 of the clip C. The bending of the upper leg 15 forces the clip C forwardly towards the goods and moves the hook portion 17 of the clip C against the shoulder surface 123 of the hook 120. Further movement of the levers 28 and 29 crimps the clip C to the general configuration shown in FIG. 9. Preferably the clip C is not deformed to bring the hook 17 into engagement with the upper leg 15 of the clip. The downward movement of the handle H and rotation of the actuating lever 83 is limited by the engagement of the lower surface 115 of 6 the handle H against the top surface 116 of the support bracket 72.

Release of the handle H' permits the return springs 67 and 68 to force the rearward ends of the levers 28 and 29 to ca'm the wedge 81 rearwardly andiin turn the wedge 81 earns the handle 82 against the stop 86 which limits the return movement of the actuating lever 83, wedge 81, and levers 28 and 29.

From the foregoing, it was seen that the present invention affords a simple and low cost apparatus for feeding and clinching clips about the edges of layers of material or superimposed articles. The magazine and clips are aligned so as to readily receive the edges of the material into the clip being crimped. The particular crimping action causes the clip to be fed toward the edge of the goods to assure a good bight on the goods and the amount of closing of the clip is readily adjustable.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as hereinbefore described, the plurality of clips C are bonded together by a resinous material so that a plurality of clips constituting a stick of clips can be inserted intothe magazine at one time. Manifestly, this eliminates the necessity for inserting clipsone at a time into the magazine and thereby facilitates the loading of the magazine with the clips C.

The material bonding the clips C together is of relatively light strength in that the crimping of the clip at the crimping station breaks the bond so that the deformed clip clenched to the goods G is separated from its next adja- Thus, in this manner cent clip C within the magazine. each of the clips bonded together to form a stick of clips is separated from the remaining clips of the stick as it is crimped by the levers 28 and 29.

Hence, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of the present invention it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification.

I claim:

1. A machine for fastening sheets of material together at the edges thereof by clips each having a pair of legs spaced from one another to form a central opening therebetween, the lower leg of each said clip ending in a hook portion, said machine comprising:

a base having a supporting surface for said sheets of material,

a magazine for holding a plurality of said clips in aligned relation to each other,

a channel means in said magazine for holding said hook portions of said clips below the level of said supporting surface on said base means and for holding said central openings in said clips at the level of said supporting surface on said base means so that said material on said supporting surface may be moved into said channel means and into the openings in said clips,

a first clamping jaw for engaging said upper leg of one of said clips and for bending said upper leg toward said lower leg and for camming said one clip parallel to said supporting surface toward said material to further insert said clip on to said material,

and a lower clamping jaw having a shoulder for engaging said hook portion after said clip is cammed by said upper jaw for cooperating with said upper clamping jaw in crimping said clip.

2. The machine of claim 1 including an actuating means for said clamping jaws and including an adjustable stop means for limiting movement of said clamping jaws by said actuating means to control the amount of crimping of said legs of said clips relative to one another.

3. A machine for fastening layers of material together by a fastener clamped to the edge portions thereof, said fastener having a pair of opposed legs spaced from one another and joined by a common bend portion, said machine comprising:

a base means,

a magazine on said base means for holding a plurality of said fasteners,

a supporting surface on said base means for said layers of material,

a pair of crimping levers movable toward one another to crimp said legs of said fasteners, said crimping levers being biased to spaced positions to receive fasteners therebetween,

a wedge means movable between the ends of said levers to pivot said levers to their crimping positions,

a pivotable lever means having a cam surface for camming said wedge means between the ends of said levers,

and adjustable stop means for limiting the amount of pivotal movement of said lever means and thereby the amount of movement of said wedge means and said crimping levers.

4. A machine for fastening layers of material together by fasteners clamped to the edge portions thereof, said fasteners each having a pair of opposed legs spaced from one another and joined by a common bend portion, said machine comprising: a base means, a magazine on said base means for holding a plurality of said fasteners, a supporting surface on said base means for supporting said layers of material opposite said magazine, said magazine holding said fasteners with said legs oriented so that the layers of material on said supporting surface may be inserted between said legs and toward said bend portion of said fasteners, crimping means for engaging the legs of a fastener and for crimping said fastener legs to a clamping position about the edge portion of said layers of maten'al inserted between the legs of said fastener, operating means for operating said crimping means to crimp the legs of a fastener, said fasteners being vertically oriented in said magazine to have an upper and lower leg, said lower leg having a hook formed at the end portion thereof, and an inclined surface in said magazine adapted to position said lower legs with said hooks below the level of said,

supporting surface for said material to prevent the engagement of said material with said hooks when said ma-. terial is moved between the legs of said fasteners.

5. The machine of claim 1 wherein said base is stationary and wherein said magazine is disposed at right angles to said clamping jaws.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. A MACHINE FOR FASTENING SHEETS OF MATERIAL TOGETHER AT THE EDGES THEREOF BY CLIPS EACH HAVING A PAIR OF LEGS SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER TO FORM A CENTRAL OPENING THEREBETWEEN, THE LOWER LEG OF EACH SAID CLIP ENDING IN A HOOK PORTION, SAID MACHINE COMPRISING: A BASE HAVING A SUPPORTING SURFACE FOR SAID SHEETS OF MATERIAL, A MAGAZINE FOR HOLDING A PLURALITY OF SAID CLIPS IN ALIGNED RELATION TO EACH OTHER, A CHANNEL MEANS IN SAID MAGAZINE FOR HOLDING SAID HOOK PORTIONS OF SAID CLIPS BELOW THE LEVEL OF SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE ON SAID BASE MEANS AND FOR HOLDING SAID CENTRAL OPENINGS IN SAID CLIPS AT THE LEVEL OF SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE ON SAID BASE MEANS SO THAT SAID MATERIAL ON SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE MAY BE MOVED INTO SAID CHANNEL MEANS AND INTO THE OPENINGS IN SAID CLIP, 